wotfandomcom-20200222-history
Black Ajah
The Black Ajah is a secret Ajah, comprised of sisters who hide in other Ajahs and who have forsaken their Three Oaths in order to serve the Dark One. Reports of its existence were only recently accepted by other sisters when Liandrin, a Red, fled the Tower along with twelve other sisters, stealing several ter'angreal and killing a number of Tower personnel. Some, even then, refuse to believe that some of the sisters who fled were Black Ajah. There is a deep-seated denial of its existence among many Aes Sedai. Joining the Black Ajah Most sisters who join the Black Ajah were not Darkfriends before they did so. They worked for years as ordinary sisters until members of the Black Ajah suspected that they may be suceptible to swearing allegiance to the Shadow. Liandrin was a Darkfriend before she came to Tar Valon and sought out the Black Ajah from the day she arrived, but we know that Galina Casban and Katerine Alruddin both were Aes Sedai for longer than they have been in the Black Ajah. Those who might be willing to become a member of the Black Ajah are likely those who find the Three Oaths chafing and who delight in the Power an Aes Sedai has over non-channelers, even having been known to abuse it. The Black Ajah allows them to exploit their power free of the restrictions of Tower Law and the Oaths, but at the price of swearing to the Shadow. Like most Darkfriends, they probably did not feel the truth of their fealty to the Shadow until the arrival of Ishamael a few years after the Aiel War. In New Spring, the former Mistress of Novices, Merean Redhill, was Black Ajah and Robert Jordan has said that the position of teachers of Novices and Accepted means that the Black Ajah know every student very well before they even become Aes Sedai. Thus are women groomed for the Black Ajah, or perhaps singled out as possible candidates, from very early on in their training. The Black Oaths Obviously, the Black Ajah are not bound by the Three Oaths, but they do have three replacement oaths. We know that Galina refers to them as a "trinity", so they are also three in number. One of them is an oath to not reveal any current plots that the Black Ajah is involved in, or to expose any other Black sisters. A second was revealed by Verin Mathwin: "not to betray the Great Lord, to keep my secrets until the hour of my death". The nature of the third oath is unknown. The fact that they are three in number also means that the Black Ajah have the same ageless look and natural lifespan as any other sister. If they had less or more oaths, then this would not be the case. Is this by design or by accident? It seems unlikely that the Black Ajah know of the true nature of the Oath Rod in causing the ageless look or the cutting short of a woman's lifespan, so any design would have to be Ishamael's. Organization The Black Ajah is administered by a Great Council of Thirteen, consisting of thirteen sisters who meet while hooded so that none may know the identity of another. If one member of the council dies, then another is raised in her place, thereby keeping a constant number in the leadership of the Black Ajah. Black sisters are organized into hearts, groups of three women who know each other and who in turn each know one sister from another heart. Only the Head of the Black Ajah knows the fulls structure of the Black concerning how all the hearts are interlinked and which sisters they contain. Involvement With The Chosen It is thought that the Black Ajah was founded by Ishamael himself, who was not bound completely into Shayol Ghul as the rest of the Forsaken were. Since the release of the other Forsaken, Mesaana, Be'lal, Lanfear and Graendal have all come to the White Tower and spoken with Alviarin. The Black Ajah is nominally controlled by Mesaana, who is undercover in the White Tower. This is because she controls Alviarin Freidhen, the head of the Black Ajah, who knows the identities of all Black Sisters. The truth is, however, that the Black Ajah are as subject to the whims of the Forsaken as any other Darkfriends and know they have no choice to obey any of the Chosen should they command it. Not only that, but they would have to obey any non-channeling Darkfriend that may stand higher than them in Darkfriend circles. Members (alphabetically by first name) † indicates known to be dead before beginning of TGS. * indicates known to have died in TGS Members (by Ajah) Browns Blues Grays Reds Greens Whites Yellows Eldrith Jhondar Berylla Naron Delana Mosalaine Duhara Basaheen Asne Zeramene Alviarin Freidhen Amico Nagoyin Marillin Gemalphin Ispan Shefar Jarna Malari Galina Casban Careane Fransi Falion Bhoda Atuan Larisett Marris Thornhill Merean Redhill Joiya Byir Katerine Alruddin Elza Penfell Fera Chesmal Emry Verin Mathwin Moria Karentanis Karale Sanghir Nesita Jeaine Caide Miyasi Dagdara Finchey Sheriam Bayanar Temaile Kinderode Liandrin Nacelle Kayam Rianna Andomeran Larissa Lyndel Talene Minly Velina Behar Sedore Dajenna Black Ajah